


Grimm Depths of Dirtmouth

by straightouttapopstar



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Grimm could be wildly ooc (but that's up to you to determine), I wrote this back in march oof, M/M, Other, and there is no appropriate ship tag, could be interpreted as romantic or friendly, hk is love hk is life, i just chose all of them, since hk's pronouns are they/them, slightly fluffy, ur welcome, ya'll can see how absolutely impatient I am for silksong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28526325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightouttapopstar/pseuds/straightouttapopstar
Summary: With nothing to do but see hours come and go, I decided that the wisest move would be to explore a little; settle properly into the universe I had been summoned into this time.That is exactly how I stumbled upon the Pale King’s favourite child.
Relationships: Grimm/The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel
Kudos: 18





	Grimm Depths of Dirtmouth

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!!!!!! If any of my regulars are here then I wanted to say the following; uni is tough and I have no time for my hobbies, much less writing. I barely have time for the work I need to do as it is (a CS degree is like death).   
> I've really come to love Hollow Knight over the past year (and Celeste too, but sadly I have no fanfic ideas ahdkfncjcj) and absolutely cannot wait for Silksong!!!!   
> I'm still into Fire Emblem, not rlly into Kirby anymore (since Star Allies sucked) but if the next game is any good then I'll get back into it.   
> Overall, I just wanted to say thank you so much for everyone's comments and bookmarks on all my Kirby, Wadanohara and Fire Emblem fics! That being said, I should probably find at least SOME time to play the new Wadanohara remaster oops  
> Throughout the lockdown earlier this year, I was trying to rewrite You, With Wings of an Angel (my first multichapter fic with kamuzero as the main focus) completely with a new plot and adding some new characters and dynamics (since the original was disorganised and just really sucked imo), but I'm not sure if that will ever be finished. If anyone would like to see it then just let me know and at some point I'll just publish whatever I have haha :')
> 
> TLDR: Anyways, I'm happy to have something to post and happy to share my love of Hollow Knight; please enjoy!!!! I hope everyone is feeling great today and that covid isn't being too tough on anyone :( have a lovely day!!!!!

To be honest, it was oh so difficult to not notice the Little Ghost’s progress. The poor vessel had endured hardships, deaths upon deaths, numerous godly beings whose only aim was to bash the little thing into a pulp however many times they came back for more—oh, I lost count quick. I lost count quick of how, since being summoned with the tents and the troupe and the entire shabang, skilled my days were at becoming muddled into one.

Every single day was the same. We’d all patiently await the sound of Little Ghost’s steps increase in volume as he gently traversed deeper and deeper into the circus tent, passing Brumm by along with the skilled man’s centipaccordion and its compelling repertoire. Then, all was simple—I’d appear. Radiant, glowing and dangerous, in a puff of suspicious smoke in front of the vessel’s empty void-black eyes. I’d give them a task and send them off on their merry way, seeing my Grimmchild happily take off into unknown lands with them. With a spring in their step, they’d leave—and what would that leave me to do?

Disappear? Sleep all day? Surely you cannot be serious—the golden rule here is that two things in this universe never sleep. Those two things are evil and the most evil of them all, Troupemaster Grimm.

With nothing to do but see hours come and go, I decided that the wisest move would be to explore a little; settle properly into the universe I had been summoned into this time.

That is exactly how I stumbled upon the Pale King’s favourite child.

As I walked into a strange temple under the broken pavements of Dirtmouth, my interest was certainly piqued. There was a mysterious walkway inside, laid out with legendary runes in glowing white—evidence of ancient civilisation and inscriptions of the many gods Hallownest welcomed during its extensive lifetime. Whispers of ghosts telling tales filled my ears as I continued to traverse the surreal path. 

At the end, there was a small doorway and the arena past it smelled of rust. The odour could be traced to the enormously long iron chains that were holding a figure above the ground. I could not believe what I was seeing—that the relatively ordinary Dirtmouth underground was actually a chest holding hostage the entire source of the infection. Hearing the legends from one source or another, I was expecting the containment of the infection to have been in the form of—oh, I don’t know—a formidable monster? A god? Just a simple box, perhaps?

Instead, above my head, what I saw did not resemble any of my assumptions in the slightest. 

What I saw was a bug. Hanging from the ceiling, held only in place by the aforementioned chains and a very strange dream barrier, only visible from certain angles.

Oh, did it peak my curiosity to find this.

“So you are...the Pale King’s plan come to fruition? Bahaha, how creative was he”—I loudly remarked, walking up closer to the sentient chandelier, catching one of its limbs in my hand and waving it around playfully—“to give up one of his kind to save everyone.”

_Shuffle_ —suddenly, the limb began to twitch and then wrestled itself out of my hand at confusingly high speed. Startled, I jumped aback to get a good look at what I was dealing with once again, but the chandelier had strangely looked just as dusty and untouched as it had when I entered the room.

Was this bug, perhaps, alive?

“How are you enjoying your time up there, Sir? I assume playing Hangman really gets your juices flowing?”

That did not elicit a satisfactory response, or any for that matter. They did not like my humour. 

But I would make them like it even if I had to sit here for centuries.

“Hmph, a tough audience, are we? I can wait. For I am Grimm!”

...

Nothing but a rustle of dead leaves and vines protruding from the ground. I could even hear my voice rebound a few times against the circular dome of the room until the volume reduced into nothingness.

Defeatedly, I sat down on the dusty floor and I pondered.

After a few minutes of deafening silence, I opened my mouth once again.

“How boring this is! Talk, come on! I could be discovering new lands and wreaking havoc upon them as we speak (or should I say, not you) but instead I am forced to remain here, supposedly talking to a twitchy corpse—“

“ _ENOUGH_.”

My head looked up instantly to see the chandelier reanimated, alive, glowing—with beautiful, shining orange in his void eyes. The rage in their grimace was wild, untamed, and I was convinced that, provided he could, he would immediately jump down from his suspended prison and whack me in the head a couple of times for disturbing his slumber.

Oh, the thought of a good battle stimulated me like none other—alas, they were stuck just like before. Albeit looked more like a certain Fool, full of bark and no bite, powerless as they continued to hang from the ceiling.

“Why are you inclined to invade the Temple of the Black Egg?”

“Oh, no reason”—I smiled slyly, with the pretence of riling them up just a little—“just having a look around Hallownest. A pretty world you have here. Looking at the collateral damage of the spread of the Infection, it would not take too much effort to lay it to sleep permanently...”

A warning growl escaped them and their frail body attempted to lunge at me, but they rebounded as the chains continued to hold him down and their limbs fell restlessly at their sides again. _The poor thing_.

“ _Aww, wittle Vessel can’t fight off intwudewws?_ How compelling. Truly a spectacle worth an audience and a monetization scheme. If you ever consider entering the path of comedy, your presence is always welcome in my troupe.”

Both their fists clenched in response—oh how _empowering_ is their stance! Their desire to fight me and put me back in my place was _enormous_! The need to see me cower in fear, shielding myself from their might—but I knew they would get none of that. They were as intimidating as the Squit I lately squeezed the life out of between my fingers.

“HOW DARE YOU! I AM THE **HOLLOW KNIGHT**!”

In a flash, my mind snapped awake—them? This body given life for brief minutes? This decaying mass hanging from chains? This is **the** Hollow Knight?

What erupted from me was rather ungracious laughter, to their dismay.

“You are THE Hollow Knight? Then I must be the White Lady. A good first step towards becoming a real clown, I applaud your efforts.”

In response to my compliment, their shoulders lowered, their limbs fell defeatedly, their head dejectedly moved to face away from me. They briefly coughed, and with no hand to contain anything they spat out, the suspicious orange liquid fell onto the ground in a blur.

Curiously, I took a look at the small puddle. The orange sludge stared back at me in the form of my reflection. My red eyes burned through the fluid but saw nothing of note.

I was not feeling adventurous enough to touch it, though.

I looked back at the chandelier with a grimace— _what is going on?_ After a moment full of mental gymnastics, I finally understood.

This bug really was the Hollow Knight they spoke of. The bug they immortalised in statues around the kingdom. The bug they all celebrated, despite never having met him. The bug they all revered for giving up their life to protect them all. The bug they all passively hailed a hero, a saviour.

The bug tasked with containing the Infection. The throwaway. The single use tissue and, since the Infection had broken out, a useless life stuck in limbo.

As their face turned back to me, their orange eyes continued to glow. Several grunts escaped them, each one louder than the last, as their weak hands scrambled to cover their face. They cried out in pain, repeatedly. Once, twice, three, ten times, only increasing in volume and sounding more and more helpless every time. It was deafening, unpleasant and I wanted nothing more than to escape this pain that permeated my lungs and ears and mind, but dare I say the sliver of empathy and respect I had for the bug kept me stuck to the ground. 

“L-Look, I cannot offer any other solution than escape. I implore you, _run_.”

As their eyes opened, the pain and suffering of loneliness and hopelessness was laid bare in front of me. In the depths of the two voids on their face, there was no sanity left. The bug heaved and coughed and in the end could barely breathe out a word. They could not provide more than a husky whisper.

“I-I cannot... _cough_...run...Hallownest needs...me.”

Overwhelmed by several feelings bubbling up at the back of my throat, I began to wrestle on of the chains holding him hostage while looking at him pleadingly. I had no idea what to do—I was going insane. I could not accept them being stuck here any longer. They were a person like all of us. They deserved at least a decent life.

“You IDIOT! They don’t care! None of them care! All of them have been brainwashed by the source you have been hiding inside yourself for centuries! None of them can even have the right capacity of mind to care! You have already done your duty in Hallownest!”

As my monologue continued, the glistening orange pools on their face widened in confusion. I was unhinged by then—desperate to help them escape this prison. I thought what they were doing was pointless. I thought they still had a chance to save themselves.

“Please, leave. Save yourself. Escape the temple and experience real life. It may not be the best—with the Infection running rampant in all parts of the land—but it certainly is better than”—I take a look around the gloomy hall and hear nothing but the lonely breeze—“this.”

They decided to give no answer, and so I drove the bargain even further in my childish and ambitious daze.

“I could take you in without a doubt. You are always welcome in my troupe. Whether it is because you yearn to become a comedian or you would like to travel the distant lands with us—please, consider my proposal.”

Immediately, a weak, breathy chuckle escaped the great Hollow Knight’s starved lips. It sounded so strange, so foreign and unexpected—but it was such a pleasant sound to my ears, it made me smile in return. I started feeling the impact of my sped up heartbeat—blood rushed to my face, I began to feel the heat. It was a refreshing moment. I understood I must have felt...something...towards the hanging old bug that was Infected from head to toe.

“Grimm, you...do present a very... _cough cough_...convincing narrative.”

“I do? Splendid. I will allow you a maximum of ten minutes to pack your bags and we are leaving—“

“But...not so fast.”

That finally woke me up from the illusion I had been living since I saw him smile. What did they mean, not so fast?

Their smile dropped instantly. My heart slowed. My outlook on the situation soured in seconds.

“Have you... _cough_...met the saviour of Hallownest yet?”

“Yes, it is you. Am I incorrect?”

He shook his head—“I meant...the person who is destined to... _cough_...defeat... _cough_...me to bring peace to Hallownest.”

At first, what they had said did not shed any light on their choice to remain the temple. But, as all pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place, I began understanding why they felt the need to stay. 

The Little Ghost must have been the chosen one. Their journey’s end was here, in the Temple of the Black Egg. Their end goal was to slay the container to all Infection, the Hollow Knight, in order to supposedly free everyone’s minds of its influence.

“I hope you...understand. I must stay here... _cough_...I must test the chosen one. I have to see whether they... _cough_...can really put an end to the Infection that sleeps in my dreams.”

Coming to an understanding, I shook two of their chains violently in anger until even their feeble form began to shake with them. No! I could not allow them! They was playing hero for no reason!

“Hollow Knight, stop thinking that everyone will remember you if the Infection departs this kingdom. No one knows who you are. What you are aiming to do will only hurt you.”

No response. I shook the chains even harder, my fury rising.

“Does saving the kingdom give you something? Makes you feel better? Grants you personal satisfaction?! You will put your life forward for lives of villains, commoners and the few good people that will all forget you?! _What do you want from life!?_ ”

Still no answer. Without thinking, I summoned a solitary flame and slashed one of the chains that hold them. They let out a refusing cry.

I kept trying to hold my tears in—hold my feelings in—hold everything in. I was afraid like never before.

“W-Why do you keep lying to yourself? **No one cares about you!** If you die, they will celebrate their life! No one will remember you, this is all futile...”

“Then why do you... _cough_...why do you care, Grimm?”

Silence befell me, my thoughts, my clouded rationale. I was oh so confident for the longest time that I didn’t care. I was the ultimate evil. There was no one in the world I liked, empathised with, cried for. I was the interdimensional Troupemaster Grimm. I carried no emotional baggage between universes. I always started with a clean slate. I never missed anyone.

If that all were to be true, then why was my heart so...pained? Longing for something?

“I-I don’t!”—I swiftly let go of the chains and took five steps back in defence. My actions prompted a shy smile from Hollow Knight which pushed my mind back into insanity with a huge grin on my face. “I don’t care in the slightest! It is, after all, your life, and your choice what you do with it. I, quite regrettably, cannot control what you do from here on.”

“Ah, right. Thank you, Troupemaster Grimm. How considerate... _cough_...of you.”

Their fairly honest reply made my heart sing, do flips in my chest and dance a whole routine. I had to admit to myself that I had taken quite the liking to this gentle bug's commitment to saving an entire kingdom. I had especially taken a liking to the bug's incandescent and bright eyes—when they smiled, their face became the most entrancing image I had ever laid eyes upon. It was shocking, disgusting even, for a bug to have such power over me.

I wanted to see it more.

“I feel like...your smile. It is very, ah...captivating. I like it”—I mused, my voice shaky from the extreme thoughts coursing through my mind. They smiled even wider, and I understood that this was exactly what I wanted to keep seeing for the rest of my immortal journey.

I really wanted to find out what was on their mind. What were their hopes, likes, dislikes, preferences, hidden obsessions, what resonated with them, whether they preferred Sheo to all the other characters in _Hallow Rangers_ ; my thirst for knowledge knew no bounds. I wanted to learn about them. I felt like it was for the best. I wanted these funny feelings in my chest to develop into something new, something unfounded, something I had never felt before.

For now, however, I needed a break. In my opinion, it had been enough exploring for a single day.

I looked towards the hallway I came from, and noticed the gentle, comforting glow of the glistening runes beckoning me outside.

Then I looked back at the Hollow Knight; their eyes were wide open and alive, their expression cheerful, their shoulders strong and broad. I had never seen them so full of life and vigour.

I nodded at them encouragingly.

“But for now, I must depart; do know that I shall come back! Very soon! Once the ultimate evil regenerates its powers and has a rest, I will arrive to liberate you, Hollow Knight! I need you!”

I thought my speech had been flawless; but when I noticed the little red tinge that rose to the Hollow Knight’s pale cheeks, I just knew something had definitely gone under the radar. I gulped down in embarrassment and scrambled a sentence together to save myself.

“I need you... _out of here!_ That is because I need you to experience Hallownest in its full glory! Do not worry, for Troupemaster Grimm shall save you.”

“Ah yes, of course. Silly me! Thank you, _Troupemaster Grimm_. I am eternally indebted to you.”

“Right you are, vessel. Please, dear Hollow Knight, refer to me as Grimm. No desire nor need for formalities.”


End file.
